Vienna - Thieves have stolen a truck in Mexico carrying a dangerous radioactive material used in medical treatments, the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Wednesday.

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Vienna - Thieves have stolen a truck in Mexico carrying a dangerous radioactive material used in medical treatments, the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had been informed by Mexican authorities that the truck, which was transporting cobalt-60 from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana to a radioactive waste storage centre, was stolen in Tepojaco near Mexico City on Monday. “At the time the truck was stolen, the (radioactive) source was properly shielded. However, the source could be extremely dangerous to a person if removed from the shielding, or if it was damaged,” the IAEA said. The IAEA has offered to assist Mexican authorities, who it said were searching for the material and had alerted the public.